Argues that in the history of horror fiction there have been many stories written about evil dolls and other replications of the human form, and that these themes have been frequently visited by Australian writers.

This story was first published in the Australasian, 14 September, 1872, with the title 'Human Repetends'. This version of the story, which includes a character called Marston, has been republished several times in anthologies and selections. A second version of the story, with a different beginning and featuring a character called Hylton, was first published in the posthumous selection Sensational Tales with the title 'A Mysterious Coincidence'. This version has been republished under both titles.

Bridging the present and the future and the Earth and the Moon, the story concerns two archaeologists who find the burial chamber of an aristocratic scholar and kabbalist who sought the secret of eternal life. Meanwhile a worker on the moon is part of a project to bring water back to the moon.